Generally, an electrical connector includes some form of dielectric or insulating housing which mounts one or more conductive electrical terminals. The terminals have contact portions which are adapted for engaging the contact portions of the terminals of a complementary mating electrical connector or other connecting device. In an electrical connector assembly, a pair of mating connectors are interconnected for establishing one or more electrical circuits through the assembly interface.
Electrical connectors are used in a wide variety of applications. They may interconnect discrete electrical wires or they may interconnect a plurality of printed circuit boards or they may interconnect discrete wires with circuit traces on a circuit board, for instance. Electrical connectors also are used in a wide variety of environments, such as through panels or backplanes as well as in "drawer" applications, for instance.
In many applications, interconnecting electrical connectors are complex and expensive, involving one type of connector (such as a male or plug connector) and still another type of connector (such as a receptacle connector). In some instances, a pair of hermaphroditic connectors are used in an electrical connector assembly to simplify the assembly and reduce its cost. The present invention is directed to designs for providing simple, inexpensive and effective hermaphroditic electrical connectors.